"... "
Looking at Suzuki Wen's humble expression, the long-haired Girl rolled her beautiful eyes at her, then moved back to her desk.
"Qian-chan, are you taking a day off tomorrow?"
Seeing her leave so easily without asking anything, Suzuki Wen stuck to her again.
"Yes." The long-haired Girl nodded, then looked at her in confusion: "Why are you asking? Are you taking one too?"
Suzuki Wen shook her head repeatedly: "I'm afraid of being lectured by Nishimiya if I take a day off on the first day back to work after the New Year."
"Uh…"
The long-haired Girl paused, "Suzuki-chan, did you forget that Nishimiya was promoted today…?"
"Hiss… It seems… there was such a thing…"
"How did Nishimiya suddenly get promoted…? There wasn't even a prior notice…"
The long-haired Girl recalled what happened in the morning:
"I heard that Nishimiya was quite bewildered at the time. It seemed like she didn't know about it either. She just came back after the New Year and suddenly got promoted."
Suzuki Wen shook her slightly dizzy head, and the topic quickly shifted to something else:
"Speaking of which, are you taking a day off tomorrow to buy Miyamura's new novel?"
Suzuki Wen looked at the long-haired Girl in front of her suspiciously.
"Yes," the Girl admitted generously, feeling there was nothing wrong with it.
"Ah!? Really or fake?"
"Why would I lie to you? Of course it's real. I've been looking forward to Miyamura's new book for several months."
After hearing what she said, Suzuki Wen showed a mysterious smile and kept raising her eyebrows at her.
"…Is your eye twitching?"
"…" Suzuki Wen put away her overly dramatic expression, a hint of speechlessness in her eyes.
She glanced around at her busy colleagues, and after confirming that no one was paying attention to them, she leaned closer to the long-haired Girl's ear:
"In the middle of next month, I'm going to attend Futaba Publishing's author dinner, and I can get you Miyamura's autograph…"
"…"
The Girl didn't believe her immediately. Instead, she slid her office chair back a bit, eyeing her suspiciously.
Suzuki Wen instantly understood her gaze, covering her flat chest and feigning hurt: "How many years of best friend affection? You don't believe me?"
The long-haired Girl nodded without hesitation.
"Pfft…"
Suzuki Wen spat out a mouthful of blood in feigned injury, and the scattered droplets of saliva even splattered onto the long-haired Girl.
"…"
"It's true, okay! I just called my Editor, and he told me. I can get you an autograph and even sneak a few photos."
As she spoke, Suzuki Wen ignored the Girl's speechless expression and her wiping motion, grinning mischievously.
The long-haired Girl stared at her face for a while, and both fell silent, with only the sound of keyboards tapping around them and faint chatter in the distance.
Seeing her increasingly mischievous expression, the long-haired Girl finally nodded and believed her:
"Alright, if it's true, I'll cover your breakfast for a week."
"Two weeks!" Suzuki Wen held up two fingers and wiggled them.
"…"
"Fine…" The words leaked from the Girl's clenched teeth.
"Hehe…"
"But what if you're lying to me?"
Suzuki Wen didn't hesitate, patting her chest with a resounding slap and guaranteeing: "Then I'll cover the housework at the rental house for a month."
"Deal!"
——————
The next day.
On a winter morning, the cold wind was particularly biting. Pedestrians on the street bundled up in their coats, only wanting to quickly escape back to their warm nests.
"Got Miyamura's new book! (Image)"
"Nishimiya's cover is as beautiful as ever! (Image)"
"Check-in, check-in (Image)"
Tsuna and Shouko huddled in a 24-hour coffee shop. He leaned against the back of the chair, aimlessly scrolling through the latest comments on his Twitter account.
Shouko, on the other hand, was sitting close to Tsuna, her gaze fixed on the queue not far outside the window.
"I wonder how long it will take Ajitani-chan and them to buy it."
"Ha…" Tsuna yawned, physiological tears welling up: "The doors open at nine, so it's only a few more minutes, it should be soon."
"Here are your drinks, you two."
"Thanks, Nishikata."
Nishikata, dressed in a staff uniform, nodded, then placed the desserts and warm drinks from the tray onto the table for them.
"I have a question…" Tsuna looked at Nishikata, who hadn't left the aisle yet, with a speechless gaze: "How many jobs do you actually work, kid? How come you're here too?"
"Covering a shift, covering a shift…" Nishikata's cool demeanor no longer held, and he waved his hand with a smile.
"…"
By the time Ajitani and the other arrived, it was almost half past nine.
As soon as they sat down, Shouko pushed the recently delivered hot drinks in front of them.
"Ta-da!"
Ajitani immediately held up the book titled 'i want to eat your pancreas', which depicted a male and female protagonist under a cherry blossom tree, and waved it in front of them.
"Miyamura, please sign it for me!"
Ajitani, with crescent-shaped smiling eyes, held the book up to Tsuna, startling him into quickly glancing around.
Fortunately, because it was still early, there were only two tables of customers in the shop, and the men and women at the other table hadn't noticed their commotion.
"Don't worry," Ajitani winked at him: "I specifically looked around before I spoke."
"…"
That doesn't seem to be the main point... Tsuna thought.
Shouko, however, didn't hesitate. She took the book he handed her and signed her pen name and the date, as they had agreed yesterday.
Then Takagi handed over her and Nishikata's.
"Nishikata is still working and can't get away, so shall we go play first?" Ajitani, her mood bright after getting her book back, suggested.
Shouko and Takagi had no objections. The three of them simultaneously looked at the languid Tsuna.
He just shook his head: "I'll pass. You guys go have fun, and be careful. I need to go to Futaba Publishing later."
Seeing that he truly seemed to have an inconvenience, the understanding Shouko no longer insisted.
Takagi gently left Nishikata's book on the corner of the table. The three then exchanged a knowing glance, stood up, and blended into the warm light and sounds of people outside.
And Tsuna, after placing the book securely into Nishikata's hand, followed closely, leaving the warm embrace of the coffee shop.
Hurrying home, he straddled the motorcycle parked in the garage. With a low growl of the engine, he merged into the city's traffic.
The neon lights of shops on both sides and the blurred figures of pedestrians were quickly left behind. The slightly chilly wind of the early winter evening poured into his collar, carrying the city's unique scent, a mixture of gasoline and food.
...…
"Got it, got it, haha…"
As soon as she walked out of the noisy bookstore, Suzuki Wen couldn't help but burst into laughter.
After chatting with Qian-chan last night, she also chose to take a day off today, using the excuse of attending her ex-boyfriend's funeral.
The important thing was that Nishimiya, who was only being transferred to another position tomorrow, even gave her a strange look before agreeing.